The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee was on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday to discuss a variety of subjects, including whether impeaching Trump is a practical option for House Democrats, given that the measure is almost certain to be defeated in the Republican-controlled Senate.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep Adam Schiff arrives on the House floor for an address by NATO … REUTERS/Carlos Barria

“If we conclude that there is no other way to do our jobs, no other way to do the oversight, no other way to show the American people what this president has done — his unethical and illegal acts as outlined in the Mueller report — then we may get [impeachment] … It provides an additional tool.”

The congressman explained the Democratic strategy in the House as “gradually escalating” the pressure on the president by first asking for “voluntary cooperation” and then subpoenas, which Schiff says ineffective. “We followed with contempt; we may even follow with inherent contempt and we have to follow with impeachment.”

US President Donald Trump gestures during a Make America Great Again rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Apr. 27, 2019. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)